End coal not lives

After finishing her PhD at the University of Exeter, Sophia worked with the Royal Society as a policy adviser. This year Sophia joined the UK Health Alliance on Climate Change as the Policy and Communications Officer.

A major contributor to both air pollution and climate change, the burning of coal has dire consequences for our health and our environment. The UK Health Alliance on Climate Change highlights the importance of the phase-out of coal, supporting replacement by clean, renewable energy.

The UK Health Alliance on Climate Change was launched this year. Bringing together major medical organisations, including the Royal Colleges of General Practitioners, Nursing, Physicians, and Paediatrics, the Alliance advocates for stronger solutions to climate change and calls for health to be placed firmly at the centre of climate and energy policies.

An initial focus for the Alliance is air pollution, given its dire impact upon health. WHO estimates that air pollution contributes to 7 million deaths each year. Coal plants contribute substantially to air pollution. They also happen to be one of the most carbon-intensive energy sources—the primary cause of climate change.

Burning coal produces a number of air pollutants that are harmful to health, including sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter. Sulphur and nitrogen oxides react further in ambient air forming secondary fine particulate, whilst nitrogen oxides also contribute indirectly to the formation of ozone. Fine particulate matter and ozone are the most concerning for health. Heavy metals, such as mercury and persistence organic pollutants, are also emitted from the smokestack of coal power plants. They can also be taken up through food and water. There is particular concern around the mercury emissions since these can impair cognitive development of children. Short- and long-term expose to these air pollutants affects the lungs and the heart. Exposure is linked to cardiovascular diseases, such as such as myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, ischaemic heart disease and heart arrhythmias, and respiratory disease, such as chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and lung cancer. Phasing out coal plants in favour of clean, renewable sources of electricity simultaneously slows climate change and improves health, and it has a key third benefit of being hugely cost-effective.

Pollutants can travel over long distances and across borders. A report entitled Europe’s Dark Cloud released this week reveals that, in 2013, emissions for European coal plants were responsible for over 22,900 premature deaths, tens of thousands of cases of ill-health from heart disease to bronchitis, and up to €62·3 billion in health costs. It finds that the harmful dust caused by coal plants travels far beyond borders—eg, coal plants in Poland were estimated to cause 4690 deaths in other countries.

In Ontario, Canada, 7560 megawatts of coal electricity were completely phased out in 2014, delivering savings worth approximately US$3 billion per year from avoided health impacts. UK Secretary of State Amber Rudd announced in November, 2015, that it would phase out coal power by 2025, while Scotland has already closed its last coal-fired plant. In the USA, New York state announced in January, 2016, that it would phase out coal power by 2020, and the state of Oregon passed legislation in March, 2016, to phase out coal power by 2040. Europe’s Dark Cloud shows that each coal power plant closed provides a major boost for the health not only of those living nearby, but also for those in other countries: the UK’s planned phase-out of coal by 2025 could save up to 2870 lives every year—more than 1300 of them in continental Europe. If Germany decides to phase out coal, it could avoid more than 1860 premature deaths domestically and almost 2500 abroad every year.

The UK Health Alliance supports the phase-out of coal, to be replaced by a clean, renewable energy. We will be advocating for policies that promote clean energy and achieve health co-benefits, and are calling on the UK Government to bring forward legislation to follow through on its promise.

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